"no thank you" is how it should've gone

They walked arm in arm, the closeness of their bodies sending constant little tremors through Asavvi’s insides. Every time the skin of their arms shifted against one another, every time hips brushed with their steps had the effect of slow strokes on a skittish animal: calming, coaxing. It was easy to listen to Edrei fill the silence, the chatter so bright and animated and mundane that it created a glowy little bubble (within the literal bubble) where nothing seemed quite so dire, or quite so permanent as it might if Asavvi had been allowed to hyperfixate on what-ifs and what-nows.  She picked up bits and pieces about other girl’s family and her new little bobcat, her life before and since coming here. Edrei so obviously cared for her family; that the idea of family not coming first was so obviously a source of consternation endeared her to Asavvi more that almost anything could. When the conversation circles to her, Asavvi talked back, perhaps not as openly as her new companion, but letting Edrei’s questions steer her. She talked about her home, born and raised in a desert oasis. The fact that her parents had passed some years before was touched on but Asavvi out of habit offered no detail just that she and her twin brother had taken charge of the little ones and they’d moved. She could feel her throat begin to close at the thought of her family and to quickly dropped the subject in favor of explaining her work. It was easier to talk about her work, not so dear to Asavvi’s heart as her family but that only meant it was no cause for grief or fear or delicate hope. The safe subject helped her to relax again; and though she’d probably never quite be able to match the shorter girl’s chatty ease, there was animation enough in her voice to convey a real enjoyment of what she did. She explained in simple terms how she used a loom to weave fibers into cloth about using different plants and minerals to dye them even holding up her hands to show the blue stains on the tips of her fingers. ”This one doesn’t look so bad actually, and it fades in a few days. There’s a root I’ve used, it makes a gorgeous yellow dye but it makes my hands look sickly for weeks!” She trails off, looking curiously around the Sanctuary. There’s evidence of rubble and ancient winding streets with signs here and there of recent reclamation, of people rebuilding interrupted lives. asavvi teach my skin those new tricks warm me up with your lips